enemy increased.  The direct pursuit had soon to be abandoned, but in the hope of intercepting some part of the retreating mob Major Le Gallais, who commanded the three leading squadrons, changed direction towards the river, and, galloping nearly parallel to Khor Shambat, charged and cut into the tail of the enemy’s disordered array.  The Arabs, however, stood their ground, and, firing their rifles wildly in all directions, killed and wounded a good many horses and men, so that the squadrons were content to bring up their right still more, and finally to ride out of the hornet swarm, into which they had plunged, towards Surgham Hill.  The pursuit was then suspended, and the Egyptian cavalry joined the rest of the army by the Nile.

It was not until four o’clock that the cavalry received orders to ride round the outside of the city and harry such as should seek to escape.  The Egyptian squadrons and the 21st Lancers started forthwith, and, keeping about a mile from the houses of the suburbs, proceeded to make the circle of the town.  The infantry had already entered it, as was evident from a continual patter of shots and an occasional rattle of the Maxim guns.  The leading Soudanese brigade—­Maxwell’s—­had moved from Khor Shambat at 2.30, formed in line of company columns and in the following order:-

^ Direction of Advance ^
XIVth       XIIth     Maxims     8th          32nd           XIIIth
Soudanese   Soudanese           Egyptians   Field Battery   Soudanese

The Sirdar, attended by his whole Staff, with the Black Flag of the Khalifa carried behind him and accompanied by the band of the XIth Soudanese, rode in front of the XIVth battalion.  The regiments were soon enveloped by the numberless houses of the suburbs and divided by the twisting streets; but the whole brigade pressed forward on a broad front.  Behind followed the rest of the army—­battalion after battalion, brigade after brigade—­ until all, swallowed up by the maze of mud houses, were filling the open spaces and blocking and choking the streets and alleys with solid masses of armed men, who marched or pushed their way up to the great wall.

For two miles the progress through the suburbs continued, and the General, hurrying on with his Staff, soon found himself, with the band, the Maxims, and the artillery, at the foot of the great wall.  Several hundred Dervishes had gathered for its defence; but the fact that no banquette had been made on which they could stand to fire prevented their resistance from being effective.  A few ill-aimed shots were, however, fired, to which the Maxim guns replied with vigour.  In a quarter of an hour the wall was cleared.  The Sirdar then posted two guns of the 32nd Field Battery at its northern angle, and then, accompanied by the remaining four guns and the XIVth Soudanese, turned eastwards and rode along the foot of the wall towards the river, seeking some means of entry into the inner city.  The breach made by the gunboats was found